The South Carolina Gamecocks looked like they finally found the coach who could get them back to competing for SEC titles when they hired Shane Beamer in 2021.
Beamer was widely respected in the college football community and regarded as one of the top assistants in the country. In his first year as head coach, the Gamecocks finished 6–6 in the regular season, with upset wins over Florida and Auburn. South Carolina achieved bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018. Beamer wrapped up the season with a 38–21 victory over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo BowlIn 2022, the South Carolina Gamecocks took another significant step forward. There was a new, palpable energy surrounding the program and Beamer was one of the hottest names in college football.South Carolina beat No. 5 Tennessee at home by a score of 63–38. The following week, the Gamecocks upset their rival No. 8 Clemson at Death Valley, ending the Tigers’ 40-game home winning streak and making Shane Beamer the only coach in South Carolina history to win back-to-back games against top-10 teams. These wins have been described as “two of the biggest upsets in program
history.The late-season wins garnered South Carolina a berth in the Gator Bowl, where they lost to Notre Dame 45–38. The 2022 team finished the season with an 8–5 record and a No. 23 ranking in both major polls, marking the program’s first year-end top-25 rankings since 2013. Beamer became only the fifth South Carolina head coach ever to have a team ranked in a final AP poll.
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